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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Since Halloween is coming up tomorrow I thought I'd do a little Halloween-inspired mani. I haven't used a crackle polish in months, so I used Pure Ice Strobe Light with Hi, Pumpkin! from the OPI mini collection called So So Skullicious. I'll make sure to do a full review of the collection soon.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Take It or Leaf it is a taupe metallic foil with a bit of bronze in it. It's a nice neutral color, but the application was absolutely awful It was thick and gloopy which caused some dragging. I would definitely recommend using a lot of thinner before attempting this one.

Friday, October 26, 2012

The fall collection from Fingerpaints was on sale last week at Sally's so I got a couple. Plum Startled is a grape jelly with blue/purple glass flecks. I love it! The base was a bit sheer, so three coats was a must.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

If you've been to your local Target recently, you may have seen the E.L.F Python collection. The bottles are extremely cute with snake print on the cap. They will only set you back $2, so they are a great deal. Unfortunately E.L.F did not name the polishes so I named this one Holographic Graphite which is a dark grey with small holographic glitter. There are also some other great polishes in this collection, but they were sold out the last time I was at Target. I definitely recommend this polish!

Monday, October 22, 2012

And so my second week in Cambodia begins! No worries, I'll be back in just a week. Man Hunt is the last Safari collection color I have to show you. It's a bright blue creme that is extremely shiny. I don't have much else to say about this one. It's nice, but nothing to write home about. I also had no issues with the formula.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

What an interesting color. When I say interesting, I'm not sure if that is an insult or not. I mean, maybe it just doesn't look good on my skin tone, but this yellow and beige creme just doesn't suite me. I must give it some props for being unique though. The formula and application was fine, but it dries darker on the nail.

Friday, October 19, 2012

I'd have to say Desert Sun is my favorite of the Safari collection that I bought. When I first saw it, it reminded me of a Werther's Original candy. Desert Sun is a caramel creme color with lots of orange and brown. I think this is pretty unique, and looks fine with my skin tone. The formula and application was just fine as well. Do you like it?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wow, what a red! It's one of those reds with some brown in it, but I wouldn't call it brick. The impressive thing about this polish was the opacity. Honestly, I should have used one coat because the second was barely necessary. The formula was a little thick, but manageable. Perhaps it isn't very unique, but it makes a nice fall color.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Greetings from the Kingdom of Cambodia! I ended up getting a few of the Safari polishes on sale for ~$2 at Sally's a week ago. Up first is Elephant Walk which is a light grey with fine silver shimmer. I love the name, and the polish is really pretty. I don't think it is completely unique, but that doesn't stop me from liking it. The formula and application was flawless.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Hey guys, guess what...I leave for Cambodia tomorrow morning! It seems like I was there just yesterday, not 6 months ago. What does this mean for the blog? Well, I am spending the day uploading some pictures for the next 2 weeks, so you should have some eye candy while I'm gone. You won't be getting updates on how things are going in my life, but you'll at least see some pictures. I'll miss you guys and the blog!

Now this is more like the kind of neon colors I like. I used 3 coats, and it has full coverage. You Go Girl! is a bright pink creme with some purple undertones. I've seen lots of neon pinks like this one, but this is really nice and inexpensive. The formula was a little thin, and it dried matte since it is neon, but a topcoat will give you a shiny finish. You can find these at your local Rite Aid and Walmart, or on the CQ website for free shipping.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Thursday, October 11, 2012

I feel like I didn't even wear many neon colors this summer, so I thought this would be the perfect time to bust out some brightness since I am about to leave to a tropical country. Wicked! is a neon green color that reminds me of the slime from You Can't Say That on Television from back in the day (remember that show?). The downside to this color is the sheerness; you can still see nail line after using 4 coats! I think if I were to wear this one again, I'd wear some nail underwear to make the color pop more. The formula was a bit thin and watery to work with as well. While I like the color, it was just a bit troublesome to use.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Hola! Quick post today because there is so much to do with so little time before my trip. I hope to start scheduling some posts this weekend to go up while I'm gone.

I only bought 1 polish from the OPI Germany collection and that is Every Month is Oktoberfest which is a dark, vampy purple shimmer with a hint of gold. Colors like these always make my camera go crazy, and this was my second attempt to capture this color. Now that my nails are short, I sort of want to try this one out again because I think it will look better. The formula and application was great; it was not too thick and not too thin. Overall, this is a great polish for fall and winter, and I would definitely recommend it.

Monday, October 8, 2012

As I sat down to type, I realized that I was a bit hungry. Since I'm at work, I don't have an easy access to snacks, so I thought I was stuck being hungry. Alas, I remembered that I packed a fun sized 100 Grand bar in my lunch that I didn't eat, so I'm sitting here enjoying some chocolate. All is well with the world. I love 100 Grand candy bars and I think they are underrated.

Anyway, I have another new Essence polish called Walk on the Wild Side which is a dusty green polish with lots of bright green shimmer. The shimmer isn't terribly noticeable, but you can definitely see it, and it makes it a bit more special. Again, the brush was a bit of a letdown, but other than that, the application and formula was fine.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Yesterday it was 80 degrees outside, and today it is 50. Ugh! I know it's only going to last a few days, but it reminds me of what is yet to come. How is it in your neck of the woods?

As I mentioned a few months back, Essence revamped their bottles, made them bigger, and raised the price (they are now $1.99, I think). I don't mind the price increase since we are getting more product, but one thing I don't like is the new brush. It not quite as big as the Sally Hansen brushes, but they are similar in that they are big and mop-like. I thought the old brushes were perfect for my nails, so I'm a bit disappointed in this aspect. Chic Reloaded is a new duochrome shimmer with purple and green/teal accents. The color change is more pronounced in the bottle, but you can still see it on the nail. For only $2, this is definitely worth it. With the brush, it was a bit difficult getting thin coats, and I got a little pooling, but I don't think it was the polish's fault.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Hi everyone! I hope your weekend is off a good start. We looked at a few more houses today and they were all big flops. I think those are the last we will be able to see before I leave for Cambodia. Some day we will get a house!

The next CQ polish I have for you is called Deep Blue Sea which is a very dark blue shimmer. Despite being really dark, you will not mistake this one for black which I enjoy. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I've done lots of work out in remote areas of the deep blue sea, and it didn't really look like this. Oh well, it's still really pretty. The application and formula was great, like most of the CQ polishes I've used.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Oh man, I'm starving. I was just one of those days where there was no time to eat. I did, however, have a small container of lemon Italian Ice which was amazing. It's been so long since I had one and it brought back memories. Fisher Scientific had a little expo on campus today and they were nice enough to bring snacks...oh and molecular grade water I can use for my qPCR reactions!

CQ is a brand you can find at most Walmart and Rite Aide stores, but if you don't have one nearby, you can also get them on their website with free shipping. Vintage Gray is a light gray taupe color that has made the rounds the last few years. It's not unique at all, but if you somehow don't have something like this already, I would recommend Vintage Gray. It had a great formula and application in 2 coats, and I think the bottle is fun and interesting.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Yup, it's about that time when things start to get stressful around here. I feel like I have so much to do and so little time. The next time I'll have less stress is when I'm off the plane in Cambodia. At that point I'll just have to deal with what I brought and try to find fixes for what I forgot :-D

I've heard people rave about Butter London's Victoriana, but I didn't want to drop that much money for it. Now that I have it, I would still recommend it, even at the $14 price point. I just love the look of this teal blue polish with loads of silver shimmer that really stands out (you know how some shimmer wants to be elusive). The formula was also top notch, so I don't have anything to back say about it.

About Me

I'm just your everyday nail blogger/science researcher studying soil hydrogeochemistry and microbiology. Most of the time you'll find me trying to snuggle up to my cats or take a nap. Please feel free to contact me for any comments or questions! [E-Mail] .

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